In the past few years, a CRT image diagnosis using a CRT monitor has been becoming active in the United States of America and the European countries. In 2000, a percentage of spread thereof in the world market is approximately 5 percent to 8 percent. In eight years from now, about 70 percent of the spread may be estimated. The CRT image diagnosis uses any displays utilizing an electrical display system instead of the conventional diagnostic X-ray film. A diagnostic display monitor as electrical display is in contrast to the X-ray film in view of the following. For an input device, a data storage device and a CRT image diagnosis device, there is needed information about when those devices were manufactured, and further information about performances and conditions of those devices, for example, values of brightness, gamma-characteristics and MTF, and furthermore information about who and when made measurements and moreover information about who and when made judgements, and what images were used for making the judgements, because the information allow the security of medical doctors who diagnose, and the certification of the patient. Also, the information is extremely effective in lawsuits between the medical doctors and the patient in view of the diagnosis.
In the present circumstances, if the image appears on the film, then the medical doctor, who diagnoses, puts his or her signs or markings thereon. If the image is displayed on the CRT, then an identification of an individual is made by entry of a pass-word from a key board.
In the present circumstances, there has been used no effective method of specifying an operator or an individual. When the medical doctor becomes apart from the diagnostic image, then a security problem may be caused. The entry of a password each time for keeping the security is not efficient. As shown in FIG. 3(a), the present system has utilized a method of making the medical doctor, who intends to diagnose, enter the password, diagnostic information, and individual information, for which reason there have been a problem with the complication of data entry and another problem with a poor security protected by only the password. The largest problem at the present circumstances is that the image for diagnosis is in such a passive state as to allow anyone to view the diagnostic image on the CRT.
FIG. 3(b) shows that a diagnostic medical doctor enters only the diagnostic information into an information instrument, and the information instrument collects itself biomedical informations for automatic transmission of the biomedical information into the information instrument in the simple presence of the medical doctor, thereby solving the problems with the security and the complication.
In a picture archiving communication system (disclosed in Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 8-161461), an identification number of an image is managed to allow an interpreting medical doctor to interpret an image of the patient, whom the interpreting medical doctor is in charge of, through a predetermined workstation. In this system, the identification is made based on the name or the identification number of the interpreting medical doctor, whereby any persons, who has known the name or the identification number of the interpreting medical doctor, are permitted to interpret.
In a method and an apparatus for certifying an individual (disclosed in Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2000-268175), certification condition data, which specify at least one biomedical feature for the individual certification, are stored in an IC card 200 carried by a user, so that a detection is made, from the user, of a biomedical feature which corresponds to the certification condition data read out of this IC card 200, thereby achieving the individual certification. Particularly, there are disclosed a fingerprint certification algorithm, a voiceprint certification algorithm and a face certification algorithm. There is not disclosed effects in security and data management by application of this certification method to reading out the medical image.
It is desirable to make an objective CRT-diagnostic image active to permit only a designated individual to view the image.